Jocosta...the woman bugs me, and yet I adore her.
When she first comes on the scene, I like her. She has this strong female, go-getter attitude: "Poor misguided men, such shouting--why this public outburst?" I love it! I thought it unwise from the start that Oedipus handles things in such a public manner, and it appears she does, too. She continues to impress me until she becomes wishy-washy with the gods/fate. She refuses to acknowledge fate, yet she acknowledges the gods who do acknowledge fate. Problematic? Yes. The fact that she bounces back and forth between the two approximately six times makes the realization of the truth much more difficult for her when Oedipus refuses relent on uncovering the truth of his birth. Her own pride keeps her from being more discerning with the prophecies. Had she been more discerning instead of doubting the prophecies over and over, she might have put two and two together before the nasty showdown in front of the Theban citizens could even occur--although, knowing sooner more than likely wouldn't have prevented the events that follow the discovery regardless.
But here is where my adoration for her comes in: Jocasta realizes the truth of both her identity and Oedipus' long before he remotely catches on, and tries to protect him. She begs him over and over to call off his search. To me, Jocasta is saying she is strong enough to bear the painful truth of all that has happened if he will just give it up and let it go; this is her strength not as a wife but as a mother. I can't begin to tell you how many times I have heard similar words from my own mother: "No, please--for your sake--I want the best for you!" Like a child, however, Oedipus continues in his pride assuming he knows best. His unrelenting nature force her to be a woman scorned, so she caves under the weight of it. My mom has given in to let me make my own mistakes to prove a point, and Jocasta is proving a big one to Oedipus. Of course we know it is her final point to prove.
(commented on Callie's)
Really good, Samantha. I had never thought of Jocasta in that way. I had only seen one side of the arguement - the fact that Jocasta was trying to save her herself by stopping Oedipus. I thought that she was afraid of the truth getting out and losing her bad name (which of course I'm sure she was to an extent). But she really was trying to protect Oedipus too - even more so - I guess the real one with pride was Oedipus.
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